YREKA – At her sentencing hearing last week in the Siskiyou County Superior Court, a Yreka woman who pled guilty to two counts of elder abuse was told by Judge Karen Dixon, “This was a doozy, ma’am.”

Former in-home caregiver Lisa Davis, 24, was sentenced to three years of probation for the two charges that stemmed from fraudulent use of credit cards belonging to two of her former elderly clients. Davis agreed to this sentence in a plea agreement with the district attorney’s office.

Dixon also ordered Davis to pay restitution in the amount of $3,478 for one of the cases as well as restitution for the other case, although that amount had yet to be calculated at the sentencing hearing.

The husband of one of the victims, a man in his late 80s, addressed the court at the hearing.

The victim’s husband, who wore a purple ribbon to show his support for elder abuse awareness, told the court he hired Davis to care for his wife who has advanced Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. He stated that Davis stole his wife’s credit card and charged $1,500 on it. He also said Davis abandoned his wife while she was on the job, and if he had not happened to come home early, she could have been seriously injured due to her medical condition.

“I cannot recommend to the court what to do, but I think she should be reprimanded for what she did to my wife,” he said.

The other victim, a woman in her 90s, told the court Davis took her credit card and charged over $3,000 in merchandise.

“She was so pleasant and so was her husband; I just can’t believe it,” she said. “Well, I just feel sorry for her.”

Dixon told Davis, “When I look at the victims I am struck by the vulnerability of the people you have taken advantage of.”

Noting that Davis has no prior convictions and that the probation department’s sentencing recommendation was consistent with the plea offer made by the district attorney’s office, Dixon stated that she would sentence Davis to three years of probation.

“Ms. Davis is young and the court believes there is the opportunity for rehabilitation,” said Dixon. However, she stated, “These people trusted you and you took advantage of that. You have to understand the impact you have had on these families. To be preyed upon in this fashion is egregious.”